Against Royalty
by Fantasy1800
Summary: Sequel to Rescuing. Disclaimer: I do not own any Bakugan. After coming across a beach house, the Gundalian Agents are hiding there. With strange things happening and with dangers coming their way, are they safe?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Offering to Teach

POV: Lena

It had been almost a day since we came to the beach house on Earth to hide from the Twelve Orders. And also since we, including Sid, found out about Grace's history with Sid's father. Not much had happened after all the things we'd been through. Just hid in the beach house for safety.

We were all doing different things at the time. Jesse spent about half an hour on the beach with his nose in a book, as he normally did. How he managed to read and be all poetic every day during a war, I would never know. Zenet was also in the beach, chatting with her partner, Contestir. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but I left them to it - I didn't want to disturb them. Sid was just in the living room, sitting on a window seat as he stared at a photo of Grace and his father. I had a quick look at the photo earlier and it turned out that Grace was right about Sid looking so much like his father; the same blond hair; same facial features; same everything. Except the eyes. Sid's father's eyes were blue rimmed with red; whereas, Sid's were emerald-green. The shade of green was a perfect match to Grace's. I knew that Sid only found out that Grace was his mother, so it must've been quite a shock to him. I wanted to say something, but a part of me knew that he needed some time to himself to think things over.

And Ren was lying on the couch in the living room, still out cold from whatever had happened to him. I was told that it happened on Neathia when he got shot by Dharak and ended flying through the air and hit his head on the side of a cliff. He woke up done time after Sid took him to a medical room in Bakugan Interspace, but then he fell back to sleep once Sid threw some sleeping dust in his face. Sid did that for a really good reason - to make sure Ren stayed where he was since he kept insisting on trying to help rescue the rest of us from Kazarina. The sleeping dust was supposed to last for normally a few hours, as I was told, but Ren had been unconscious longer than that. It was either because of something Kazarina did to him before Zenet found him; there was something in the dust; or the way Ren's injuries, especially his head, had affected him. Nevertheless, we knew he woke up at some point. Sid had also been keeping an eye on Ren every so often, just in case.

As for myself, I was in the kitchen, helping Grace prepare some snacks and drinks for everyone. We were also talking about what I involuntarily did to Kazarina with a poisonous power I never knew I had.

"I couldn't explain it," I said, mixing some dough. "It felt like I was controlling the power, but, at the same time, it also felt like it was consuming me. I know that this power is lethal, but it's even more dangerous when I touch a person. I don't how to keep thus power under control, without killing people. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I do," Grace replied, slicing up chocolate into small pieces. "One time, I found out that I had the power to control fire once I was at a bonfire event in a forest back on New Vestroia. I accidentally set a small part of the forest on fire, and it was just pure luck that no one got hurt. It took me around five months to get used to it, even though I had people to help me through it. Now I'm able to use it whenever I need to. So, if you want, I can teach you some techniques for complete control over this new-found ability."

"Really?" I asked, my voice filled with hope. "You can do that?"

"Yes," Grace answered, dropping the chocolate pieces in the dough and mixing it together. "It may take a while, but I'm sure I can help you out."

"I want you to help," I said as Grace cut the the dough and rolled them into small balls, "but it could be dangerous. I mean, I can't touch you or you might die."

"My power was dangerous," Grace pointed out, flattening the balls into cookie with a pallet knife and the placing them in the oven. "And I felt the same way before. But once I went through with the tasks, I eventually received control over it. So, even your power has a lot to do with poison, I'm you'll get through like the way I did. You'll be fine, Lena. I can help you. The question is, will you let me?"

I thought about Grace's to help out for a bit. My power over poison was lethal, and I knew that I could hurt Grace at some point. I also knew that I needed a teacher to help me find a way to control it - without letting it control me. Finally, with a sense of dread and worry in my voice, I said, "Alright."

"Excellent," Grace beamed. "You're going to be great, Lena. Don't worry. How would you like to get started after all of us had snacks and something to drink? Sounds good?"

"Alright. I'll be ready for my first lesson."

"That's the spirit." The kettle on the cooker started to whistle. "Will you get the drinks ready while I keep an eye on the cookies, dear?"

"Sure," I replied, picking up the kettle.

Helping me learn how to use my power without killing people would be risky. But I was glad that Grace was willing to teach me. I just hoped that I would follow the tasks quickly, before something would happen.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Hardest Thing to do is The Right Thing

POV: Jesse

I was just sitting on the beach, reading Shakespeare as I usually did. I knew that reading during a war seemed a bit odd, but I was intrigued in some way. I wasn't sure what it was that lured me into the world of Shakespeare. It might've been all the drama and the suspense in his writing. Plus I had always been a big fan of theatre, so I'd hoped on becoming an actor in the future. I'd spent days reading Shakespeare's books as a kid. Maybe it was because that that large amount of time had caused me to be obsessed or something. I couldn't even talk like a normal person would. Funny.

Even though I had my nose in a book as I sat there on the beach, I couldn't get rid of the worries in my head. I'd been one of Kazarina's test subjects along with my other teammates, and now we weren't in her lab anymore. I was really glad of that, but something still felt a little off. Like the Twelve Orders wouldn't give up on us until we break.

But I was extra worried about Ren – we all were. Ren had been out cold for a day and he'd only stirred every so often. It was great that he was still alive, but his injuries made a big deal on him; especially his head. What if he'd never wake up? No, I shouldn't have asked myself that. Ren would wake up. All he needed was time to rest and plenty of treatment in order for his injuries to heal. And all we had to do was watch him and wait. And –

I felt gusts of wind blowing around me. Something was here. Or some _one_.

I looked around the beach and saw Gill and Stoica standing on a small hill nearby. I instantly stood the minute I saw them. "What do you two want?" I asked, with a hint of both surprise and hatred in my voice.

"Nothing much," Stoica grinned. "We just need you and your others teammates for help."

Plytheon floated to the side of my head and said, "You don't need our "help". You just want us to be lab rats!"

"No, Kazarina wants you as lab rats," Gill countered. "We're just here to take you in."

"That can't be true," Plytheon protested. "Kazarina's dead. Lena –"

"Poisoned her," Gill finished. "Kazarina's still alive, just barely. She's still moving and she's so close to creating an antidote. Once she's done, she'll continue with her experiments. So tell the others to come out and face us, before anyone gets hurt."

"We'll get hurt either way," I heard Zenet shout as she ran to my side. Once she stopped and caught her breath, she asked, "How did you even manage to find us?"

"Simple, really," Stoica said. "We just tracked the teleportation Rubanoid used and found this place. If you want us to leave you alone, then you'll just have to face us in a battle."

"Well, then, I'll battle you, Stoica," Zenet declared. "I'm done listening to you and we're going to beat you. Right, Contestir?"

"You bet," Contestir replied.

"In that case, I'll take on Gill," I said. "Are you ready, Plytheon?"

"Whenever you are, Jesse," Plytheon answered, moving onto my palm.

"OK, let's begin. Gate Card set!"

POV: Sid

I needed to think this through. Everything I was told about Grace and my father had been a complete surprise. I had no idea that my mother was still alive – and no idea that I was a hybrid. I tried to ask my father to tell me about my mother. But every time I'd done that, he'd just fallen silent. I'd assumed that my mother was dead, so I'd stopped asking.

Now, everything was different. There was nothing I could do about what I'd been told, I knew that. I stared at the photo Grace gave me. In the photo, my father was in his Gundalian form. I guessed Grace really didn't mind what he'd looked like back then. My father did look like me with the hair, the body type and everything else. Except for the eyes, of course. That was the only difference between me and my father.

"Why didn't you tell me, Rubanoid?" I asked my partner, breaking the silence. "About Grace?"

"Believe or not, I wanted to," Rubanoid said. "But, as it was mentioned, there had been restrictions about different species being together. So, anyone who'd gone against them was eliminated. We knew that they still continued, so your father and I had to keep Grace a secret from everyone – even you. We were terrified of losing each other. Your father was especially scared of losing you, Sid. So, after what happened to him, I promised that I would take care of you. Even if it meant lying to you and keeping secrets from you. I'm really sorry, Sid, but the thought of losing you had always been and always be something more than I can handle."

"I completely understand that, Rubanoid. I just..." I stalled, not sure what to say next.

"I'm not sure what else to say, either," Rubanoid said. "Except how sorry I am."

"You don't have to apologise. You only did what you had to do. You promised my father that you'd take care of me, and you did a really good job at keeping that promise. I'm just grateful for that."

"Thanks, Sid."

"No, thank you, partner," I said with a small smile.

BANG!

I jumped off the window seat as soon as I heard a crash from outside. I looked out the window and saw Contestir and Plytheon battling against Krakix and Lythirus. This could mean one thing; Gill and Stoica found us!

Lena rushed into the living room with Grace right behind her. "What happened?" Lena asked with dread.

"The Twelve Orders found us," I replied. "We've got to help Jesse and Zenet!"

"Right, let's go!"

"I'm coming, too," Grace said.

"No," I said without any hesitation. "You don't know these guys. It's dangerous."

"I can't just let you guys go out there by yourselves," Grace protested. "I want to help."

"You can stay here and help Ren," I pointed out. I not only had concerns for Ren's safety, but also for Grace's – my mother's.

"But –"

"Please, Grace," I interjected desperately. I looked at my teammate lying unconscious on the couch, and then back at Grace. "Ren needs you more than we do at the moment."

Grace didn't say anything for a few seconds. She sighed and said, "Alright. Please, be come back."

"Don't worry, we will," I reassured her.

Then, we burst open the door and ran out to help Jesse and Zenet.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - A Trick in the Wind

POV: Ren

I stirred and woke up to a banging sound. I tilted my head forward, groaning as I did so. The agony in the back of my head wasn't as painful as it was before, but it still hurt. Regardless of it, I managed with all my strength to get up and walk around the centre of the room. I had no idea where I was, but that could wait. Right now, I needed to find out what the noise was. It came from outside. I wobbled towards the window and sat on the window seat to get rid of the pain, which was slowly growing in my legs. I gazed out the window and I saw four Bakugans I instantly recognised. Plitheon, Contestir, Lythirus and Krakix.

Wait a minute. Plitheon and Contestir were fighting Lythirus and Krakix? Jesse and Zenet, they were there. Which meant Lena must be there somewhere, too. Which meant Sid had managed to get hem out! It wasn't a time to get excited. They were fighting members of the Twelve Orders, which was risky. They would need my help.

Images suddenly flashed in my head. My teammates being punished for their mistakes; the Brawlers; my partner, Linehalt; the Darkness. I began to feel something intense in my chest, in my heart, then in my head, and then throughout my whole body. I felt this feeling consuming me, like a fire in a forest. What was this feeling?

Hatred. For the Twelve Orders; for Barodius. They punished my friends and used them as experiments for their reasons. And Barodius said he would grand me my freedom, but it seemed to be slipping through my hands at the same time. I realised that what Dan said was true - Barodius put me in the Darkness in the first place. Barodius had been lying to me all this time.

This hatred I felt became so intense that I couldn't take it anymore. It took control over me and I couldn't stop it.

I vanished.

POV: Jesse

"Ability activate! Fly Destroyer!" I cried out. A green clear shield appeared above Krakix, and then Plitheon emitted a green laser from his mouth and shot at the shield. The laser went through it and hit Krakix, causing him to return to his ball form. Gill was out of the battle, so I decided to help Zenet take on Stoica. Two against one - it wasn't a fair fight, but I didn't care.

"Ability activate! Volting Glow!" Zenet shouted before Contestir sent yellow lightning bolts towards Lythirus.

"Ability activate! Eel Weakness!" Stoica yelled, then Lythirus's orange eyes shimmered to blue, nullifying Contestir's ability. "Ability activate! Acid Bath!" What looked like water sprouted out of Lythirus's mouth and it made impact on Plitheon and Contestir, sending them back.

"We won't give up, guys," Zenet said. "We can finish this!"

"No, you can't," Gill remarked. "You know why? Because you're weak and futile. Why do you think all of you were punished in the first place?"

"Doesn't matter," I said curtly.

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Stoica asked.

"Of course I do," I answered. "Though, in my book, you're just wearing hearts so white."

"What does that mean, Jesse?" Gill asked.

"It means you're sick and weak," I replied. "We served you, did you favours, and what did we get for our mistakes? Punishments. We managed to escape because we're strong as a team. All the Twelve Orders do is sit back and let the strong ones do your dirty work."

"Once Kazarina is through with all of you, you're finished," Stoica said.

"No, we're never ever going to go through all that again," I yelled.

I suddenly felt a flowing sensation under my skin, like a gust of wind. It was cold, but I didn't shiver. I couldn't get rid of the feeling. It was like it wanted to be set free, but I wanted it to stay. It got stronger the longer it stayed, then flowed straight to my fingertips. I saw my hands turning chartreuse, and then I lifted them high above my head, feeling the sensation escaping from my body.

Then, we were surrounded by nothing but mists blocking our views of our opponents. I had no idea I could do that.

POV: Lythirus

"What's happening?" I cried out in panic. "I can't see anything!"

Something unexpectedly came into focus. A black and blue snake-like beast which was a fifty times bigger than me. It had pin-pointed pupils in its red eyes and teeth that were a lot longer than my pinchers. I tried to activate one of my abilities, but I couldn't move. My body was completely frozen in its place. The creature wrapped it's coils around me, taking advantage of my situation. It lifted me of the ground and I still couldn't move. I couldn't break free from its grasp.

POV: Zenet

"Let me go," I heard Lythirus shout. I couldn't see anything, but I knew something was up. I looked at Jesse and I saw a confused look on his face. He wasn't sure either.

I snapped out my thoughts. We had to finish the battle. The mist started to clear and, seeing my chance, I pulled out a card and shouted, "Ability activate! Shiny Lock!" Contestir raised his arm and a luminous ball enlarged from his hand. The ball flew towards Lythirus and came into contact, causing an explosion.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Jesse's hands had stopped glowing. I turned back to the battle as the mist gradually faded away. Lythirus was still standing - our attack didn't do anything!

Stoica chuckled. "You of all people should know that you can't fight water with electricity. Ability activate! Merfolk!" A blue spark escaped from Lythirus's mouth and zapped both Plitheon and Contestir, forcing them to turn into their ball forms and fall right in front of us.

"Oh, no," I sighed as Jesse and I crouched down to pick up our partners.

"Oh, yes," Gill said, walking towards us with Stoica following behind him. "You're coming with us."

"Not a chance," a guy's voice shouted. I turned around and saw Sid and Lena sprinting towards us. Once they got close to us, they stood in front of us.

"Well, well," Stoica grinned. "Look who showed up just in time to -"

"Leave them alone," a different voice shouted.

We nearly jumped out of our skins at the voice. Although, Soica and Gill looked absolutely horrified to see something. When I glanced behind me, I immediately realised why.

Ren was standing there fully awake, surrounded with a vibrant green aura. His eyes weren't golden anymore; they were entirely purple. Something was seriously out of the ordinary.

"You've used us," Ren said, his voice sounding harsh and deep. "You've punished my friends and let Kazarina experiment on them like lab rats. Barodius filled me with hopes of living with freedom, but now I see that it was all a lie." The aura around Ren brightened up as he continued speaking. "For everything you and the Twelve Orders have done, I'll take you down!"

Ren raised his arms above his head and send out a huge blast everywhere, and screamed while he did it. The blast caused everyone one of us, even Stoica and Gill, to fall back twenty feet away.

We looked back at Gill and Stoica and we watched as they, with terrified looks on their faces, teleported away. They finally left! Fantastic!

But the excitement was short-lived.

Ren kept on screaming. His Gundalian body started changing. His grey skin darkened to jet-black; dragon-like wings grew out of his back, tearing his leather jacket; his hands turned into claws; his teeth became razor-sharp; and his face became a snout with purple markings at the sides.

But his eyes were what scared us the most. They were filled with hatred. And I no longer saw the Ren Krawler we'd once known.

Ren raised his arms in front of him, let the green aura circulate around them until it reached his fingers.

He was poised to strike. At us.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Saving a Friend

POV: Zenet

A couple of vibrant green blasts shot out of Ren's hands and came straight towards us. We managed to distance ourselves just in time, so that there were two Gundalians on each side of the blast. Lena and I were together, whereas Sid was with Jesse on the other side. We were out of the way, but then Ren had slightly spread his arms further apart and let more blasts escape from his hands. But we dodged the blasts every time - with luck. We had to make Ren stop this, but how to do that without getting blown to bits was an issue.

I decided to go for Plan A. "Ren," I shouted. "It's us! Your teammates! Don't you recognise us?"

But Ren just continued shooting at us. I took that as a no.

"Listen, Ren!" Lena cried out. "We want to help you!"

Ren stopped. "Get this in your head," Ren said, his voice still different _._ "Your friend is gone. It's too late for you to help him."

"It's never too late," Jesse protested. "We know you're in there, Ren. Just try to remember who your friends are. Remember us - and the Brawlers."

Ren's eyes widened. He grasped his own head and screamed to the top of his lungs. "Get out! Stop it!" I heard fear in his voice. I also heard a bit of Ren's real voice, but it was combined with the deep voice that the mind-controlled Ren had. He's trying to fight it! But then hope disappeared the minute Ren let go of his head and looked at us again, his eyes still purple. "He's never going to come back!" Ren shouted, his deep voice taking over.

We briefly got through to Ren, but it wasn't enough. We had to come up with something else, but what? It was going to take some magic to get Ren back.

 _Magic_? I thought. When Jesse used his power, Lythirus must've had some kind of illusion while he was in the mist. Maybe if Jesse could trap Lythirus like that, he could do the same to Ren. It was time to start Plan B.

"Jesse," I cried out, catching his attention. "I've got an idea. Create the mist again!"

"What?" Jesse asked, confusion and dread in his voice. "I can't do that! I don't know how!"

"I know you can," I reassured him.

"But I did that involuntarily. I was just scared and -"

"I was scared, too," Lena cut in. "Scared for Zenet's life when I poisoned Kazarina. You were scared for someone's life, weren't you?"

"Yes, all of ours," Jesse replied. "But -"

"No buts," I interrupted. "Lena has a point. Maybe if you remember the fear you felt before, the power will come back to you."

"I have no clue what you guys are planning," Ren said, "but whatever it is, I know it's not going to work." Ren lifted his hands up high in the air and then the aura surrounding him glowed even brighter. Not a good sign, I was sure of that. The aura was so bright that every one of us had to shield our eyes with our own hands.

Suddenly, we began to levitate. We screamed as we floated even higher from 5 to 10 feet, to 15, 20.

POV: Jesse

As soon as we reached 20 feet off the ground, I heard Sid cry out, "Jesse, now would be the good time!"

I immediately tried to remember the fear - and the glowing energy - I felt during the battle. But I didn't feel it one bit.

Then, Lena's words popped up in my head. _You were scared for someone's life, weren't you?_

Zenet's words joined in. _Maybe_ _if_ _you_ _remember_ _the_ _fear_ _you_ _felt_ _before_ , _the_ _power_ _will_ _come_ _back to you._

I was scared during the battle. Scared for our lives. Scared of going back to Gundalia.

But, this time, I was terrified for one person - Ren.

Remembering what Lena and Zenet had told me, I focused on my current fear. For Ren's sake.

Something started inside of me. Something cool and flowing, like the wind. I felt it under my skin, all over my body. The minute the it went to my fingertips, my hands turned chartreuse. The sensation got stronger and stronger until I decided it was time to raise my arms in the air, and then I released the energy. Suddenly, we were engulfed in mists.

POV: Ren

Out of the blue, mists surrounded us and blocked my view of the team. I had no idea what they were trying to do while doing whatever it took to convince me to stop, but I wasn't giving up that easily. Mists couldn't do any harm.

This power of hatred that had taken over me at the beach house made me feel better than I had ever been. I felt tougher than the old Ren Krawler I used to be. I didn't need anyone to tell me what to do, or how to do it. I just needed this hatred.

A shadowy figure was in the mists, but I couldn't see who it was. Or, given the fact that the figure was gigantic, _what_ it was. It came into view and I saw a black and purple knight-like Bakugan - Linehalt. Then, some rocks morphed. Then huge stairs at the left side. And then some sort of jungle. The canopy didn't hide any sunlight. In fact, it wasn't hiding anything except a ceiling. Was I looking at a jungle that was _underground_?

It wasn't that surprised me, though. It was a little white-haired boy who climbing down the stairs, which were too big for him. That was _me_. Why was I watching this? What was happening?

Suddenly, my past self jumped onto a step, then the step broke, causing my past self to fall and scream.

Then, Linehalt saved me. I meant, me from the past.

The image I was watching transformed into me in my human form, chatting with the Brawlers in Bakugan Interspace. I looked so happy back then. Dan had been right about that one.

Then the image turned into four separate ones, all containing my teammates receiving their punishments. These images struck me, almost as much as when they had been real. I'd always felt guilty for my teammates, especially with the fact that I was spared every time - no matter how involved I'd been in the tasks, I'd been spared.

Suddenly, there was nothing but mists. I was a little bit shocked to see that that was it. I kinda figured that the team could've done better than that in order to get the old me back. There was no way they were going to succeed in that case. Absolutely no way.

The mists cleared up a bit and an enormous purple hand reached out and wrapped itself tightly around me, preventing me from escaping. It lifted me off the ground as the mists finally cleared. I noticed that the hand belonged to Linehalt.

"Ren, listen," Linehalt said in a calm voice. "We're trying to help you."

"It's too late," I said, struggling against his tight grasp.

"It's never too late," Linehalt countered. "Think about your friends, Ren. Remember how you felt for them."

"I don't have any friends."

"What about your teammates?" Linehalt asked. "What about the Brawlers?"

"I don't need a team that doesn't need me. And the Brawlers were nothing to me."

"You're lying to yourself, Ren. You team does need you. And you and I both know that, deep down, you've always cared about them and the Brawlers. And you still do, I can tell."

"How would you know how I feel?" I asked, getting sick of them trying to get me out of this.

"Because I know you," Linehalt answered. "I know how you've often made small adjustments to your plans at Bakugan Interspace, just to spare the Brawlers. I know how guilty you've felt when you were spared when each and every one in the received their punishments. I also know that you carried on with your duties because not only did you want to be free from the Darkness, but also because you wanted to honour the memories of your teammates. They're alive, Ren, and they need you - the real you. The Brawlers believed that you were truly happy with them that Dan offered you to join them against Barodius."

A memory flashed in my head. A memory of Dan back on Neathia and what he said to me about the Darkness. _"_ _Barodius put you_ _there in the first place. Join us, Ren, please!"_

"Remember who your friends are," Linehalt said. "Remember who you _really_ are. Remember."

More memories flashed in my head. This time, it was so painful I shut my eyes and screamed.

 _"You're_ _one_ _of_ _us_ _now,_ _Ren,"_ Marucho had said back at Bakugan Interspace. _"The Battle Brawlers aren't just a team. We're a family."_

I felt the hatred instead of me getting slightly weaker once the memory was finished.

 _"From_ _today_ _forward,"_ my grandfather had told me before I met Linehalt, _"you'll be caring for the Dark Bakugan who lives here."_

The next memory involved my younger self screaming and then Linehalt saving from falling to my death.

The hatred got weaker and weaker. Then...

I couldn't feel it anymore. The power of hatred was gone. I felt... like myself again. But I also felt a little dizzy.

"Linehalt" I said, looking at my partner - and friend - before passing out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Painful Conditions

POV: Sid

"Remember who your friends are," I heard Linehalt say as he held Ren tightly in his hand, preventing him from escaping. "Remember who you _really_ are. Remember."

Ren shut his eyes and screamed. What was happening? Was he recalling something in his head?

I wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it seemed to be working. As Ren screamed, the green aura surrounding his body dimmed. And his body was going back to normal, too; Ren's jet-black skin turned back to grey; his razor-sharp teeth got smaller until they were back to their normal size; his snout shrank while the purple markings vanished; and, through the gaps between Linehalt's fingers, I saw Ren's claws morphing back to his usual Gundalian hands and his wings reducing and then going back into his back.

When Ren stopped screaming, he opened his eyes. They were no longer purple. They were golden. Ren Krawler was back.

"Linehalt," Ren said to his knight-like partner, before he passed out.

As Linehalt set Ren down on the ground, the team and I sprinted towards them. Linehalt returned to his ball form and returned into Lena's pocket. When we got close to Ren, we crouched down beside him.

Jesse placed his hand on Ren's shoulder and shook him a little. "Ren," he said. "Wake up. Ren."

Ren stirred and woke up. He looked at us in turn. "You're all alive," he groaned, smiling.

"Nothing ever stops us," Zenet said. "You know that."

"True. But I'm still glad to have you guys back."

"And we're glad to have _you_ back, Ren," Lena said.

Ren moved on to his side and tried to get up. Failing, he fell back down. He must've been very weak from not only his injuries, but also from the massive amount of power he used.

Jesse and I glanced at each other and we both nodded. I wrapped Ren's arm around my neck while Jesse got Ren's other arm. "You don't have to help me," Ren insisted. "I can handle it." He tried to stand but then lurched forward. He would've fallen further down if Jesse and I hadn't caught him.

"Not what we're seeing," I said. "That's why we're going to help you."

"I got this. I don't think I want any help."

"You're going to need it, though," I countered. Then, seeing a look in Ren's eyes that told me that he wasn't going to give up, I said "Unless you want some of that dust in your face again."

Ren looked like he didn't have a clue of what I was talking about, but then his eyes slightly widened in realisation. "You're bluffing," he said.

"You need help," I pointed out. "You just don't want to admit it. So, it's not bluffing when it's the truth. Let us help you, or you'll be sleeping for a few more hours."

"You wouldn't do that."

"But are you prepared to take the risk?" I asked, grinning.

Ren glared daggers at me, then sighed. "Fine."

We then helped Ren to his feet and leaded him away from here, Ren staggering with almost every step he took. Lena and Zenet were following us.

"Where are we going?" Ren asked.

"Back to the beach house," Lena replied. "We'll be safe there for the time being."

I believed Lenawhen she said that we'd be safe at the house, but I couldn't help but feel some doubt. Especially with the Twelve Orders hot on our trails.

POV: Kazarina

 _Almost there,_ I thought, finishing up the antidote in my lab for the poison. _Almost there._

All I had to do was add a few more contents of a chemical into the vial I held in my hand. It was easier said than done. I couldn't stop shaking and wobbling. I'd been unconscious for a few hours after I was poisoned by Lena. But I'd managed to wake up and get started with the antidote. Ever since then, I'd been working on it non-stop for about a day, with barely any sleep, no matter how much I needed rest. I'd felt like I was deteriorating from the poison. Nethertheless, I wasn't going to give in. That was for weaklings.

With luck, I poured the contents into the vial and then gave it a shake, hurting my arm as I did so. Then, I placed the vial into a syringe and injected my arm with it. I was completely used to getting shots, but this was excruciating.

Suddenly, I began to feel a little bit woozy and drowsy, fogginess blurring my vision. I groaned and, almost instantly, lost consciousness.

I woke up, not knowing how long I was out. I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It said that it was 3:45pm. I was unconscious for around fifteen minutes. That didn't matter. What mattered was that I felt a lot better now that I' taken the injection. I was still a bit dizzy and nauseous, but, other than that, I was better.

It was now time for some unfinished business, which was getting the agents together again - in my lab - and completing Exokor's upgrades.

It was time to get started.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Saving Skins

POV: Grace

I'd been in the kitchen, fetching Ren some water, when he disappeared. He'd been unconscious on the couch in the living room while my back was turned. And then, he was gone before I walked in with a glass of ice-cold water. Where Ren was at that moment, I had no idea. I searched all over the house, even outside on the beach, but I couldn't find him.

I'd agreed to help Ren and now he was gone. Just like that. I may not knew where Ren was, but I knew that he was in danger, especially given the state he was in. I had to find him, bring him back here and then take care of him until he'd be able to get back on his feet.

 _But where should I start?_ I thought.

I was on the verge of panic when Iheard the front door opening. I got up off the couch and walked into the hallway to see who was entering. When I saw that it was Sid and the others, I relaxed. But then I noticed Ren with his arms around Jesse's and Sid's necks and I tensed again, even though I now knew that Ren was okay. Realising that he still had trouble walking, I rushed in to take Ren from Jesse and Sid, and then guided Ren to the living room. I helped him lie down back on the couch and then offered him the glass of water. He took it, but then his hand shook, the water swirling around in the glass. I wrapped my own hand around the glass and then took it off him before he could drop it. I put the glass to his mouth and let him take a few sips before placing it on the table.

"Thanks, Grace," Ren said.

"You're welcome," I said. Then, I realised something. He knew my name. "How did you know who I am?"

"I heard bits of the conversation you guys had," Ren replied, "about the history between you and Sid's father."

"You heard what I said?" I asked, surprised.

"Half of it. I was out cold, but my ears were sometimes working. To be honest, they kept going on and off." Ren noticed the surprise on my face. "Don't worry. I can keep secrets. I would never tell anyone, not even the Twelve Orders. I would lie if I have to. I'm a good liar. Believe me when I say that I have no loyalty to the Twelve Orders."

"He's right," Zenet joined in. "We saw the way he acted when he showed up after Jesse and I lost a battle. And we heard the words he said. You can trust him, Grace."

I knew I could trust Ren. I trusted all of these people, in fact. But Sid being a hybrid was a big secret that came with consequences. I was completely terrified for our lives. Especially Sid's. But I had to take my chances and hope that our secret would be hidden. If not, then we'd be dead. After a few seconds of silence, I took a deep breath and said, "Alright."

"Okay, then," Jesse said. "Now that that's sorted, how about we figure out how to stay safe and fight against the Twelve Orders?"

"I'm with Jesse," Lena said, pushing up her glasses like she usually did whenever she either wanted to look fierce of noticed a few strategies. "We need to slow down and take this in stages. I mean, we need to get used to our new powers before anyone gets hurt. We need to -"

"Wait a second," Ren cut in with a confused look on his face. "What powers? What did I miss?"

"You've missed a lot of things," Sid answered. "We'll tell you later. Right now, we have to figure out how to save our skins before someone from the Twelve Orders come and force us to return with them to Gundalia."

"We need to find a different place to hide," Lena pointed out. "Without the Twelve Orders tracking us."

"But how?" Jesse asked. "No matter where we go, they'll find us."

"Remember what Stoica said?" Zenet asked Jesse. "He pointed out that they tracked Rubanoid's teleportation and that was how they've found us."

"Right," Lena concurred. "So not only do we need to find a new hiding-place, but we also need to get there without the necessary use of teleporting. And that's going to be a problem."

"Why?" Sid asked with a sense of disbelief in his voice. "If we teleport, it'd just give the Twelve Orders an advantage of finding us."

"True, but whether we run or walk, we'd still be near the beach, quite possibly about a quarter of a mile. And we all know that the Twelve Orders aren't the type of people who take breaks. So it'd only be a matter of time before they find us, even before we leave the beach."

An idea occurred to me. "Maybe you wouldn't have to walk or run," I said, smiling.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked, turning his head to face me.

"Well, do any of you know how to sail a boat?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Reluctance

POV: Sid

All of us, minus Ren, stood outside at the back of the house, where there was a white yacht tied to a wooden post. The yacht was roughly the size of the throne room back at the palace on Gundalia - massive. Although, I got the feeling that the yacht looked a lot bigger inside. Everything always looked bigger inside.

Ren was still in the living room inside the house, getting some rest while Linehalt was keeping an eye on him. Ren was able to walk a little bit now, but he still staggered. A couple of times, he got a little dizzy trying to get up. Regardless, his injuries were improving. It was his head that needed the most attention. It wasn't looking as bad as it had been, but it still must've been quite painful for Ren. He would need to be checked every so often, until he was able to stand without feeling light-headed.

Grace jumped onto the deck and walked towards the door that lead to the inside of the yacht. We jumped aboard after her as she unlocked the door and then opened it. "Come in," Grace beckoned and we followed her inside.

We were in some sort of yellow and white living room with white couches at both sides. The living room was quite spacious, too, with the small wooden table at the centre and a lot of floor area. There was an en-suite kitchen at the far front of the yacht. And on the left, next to a couch, was a spiral staircase that went up and down between decks. I was right when I figured that the yacht looked bigger inside.

"Sid's father and I got this boat because we both loved sailing," Grace said. "Now that we're on different planets, I've been sailing in my own free time. Anyway, it has three decks; the cabins and the engine room in the lower deck; the kitchen and the living room in this one; and the control room in the upper deck. It's not much, but it's fast and, at least, you won't have to teleport."

"This is more than we need," Lena said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Anytime. Now we better take some things and leave if we were to hide from the Twelve Orders. There are spare bags in the attic back in the house for everyone. I can steer, but I can't do a few more things at the same time. So does anyone know how to steer?"

"I do," Zenet replied. "I used to watch a couple of relatives steer different boats growing up. I can help out."

"Alright, that sounds good to me. You and I will be working together then, Zenet. We'll be taking turns, though. That way, we can have breaks at different times."

"Okay, then," Zenet said, turning to leave the yacht. "Let's get packing and sail away from the Twelve Orders." Zenet ran out the door and jumped onto the beach. As she rushed to the house, she whooped, "Boat ride!"

"Zenet's really excited about this," Grace pointed out with a smile.

"I think the entire cast is excited," Jesse said. "It's all about the sense of adventure."

"You got that right," I said and walked out the door. "We better get sorted."

I then jumped off the boat and headed towards the house.

POV: Lena

Jesse followed Sid and I was about to join everyone when Grace stopped me with a touch on my shoulder. "Lena," she began. "Since Zenet and I will be taking turns steering the boat, I was thinking that, while I'll be taking my breaks, I could teach you how to control your power. Are you feeling up for it?"

"Yes," I replied, but then said with a hint of worry in my voice, "and no. I mean, I am up for it, really. But with this power, I'll be putting you at risk. I don't want to hurt you, Grace."

"I know, but you won't. You'll be fine. If I can handle fire, why not poison? You'll get used to it, Lena. Don't worry. You just need to completely focus. I'm sure you'll learn a lot faster than I did, believe me. Trust me."

I did trust Grace, which was why it would hurt me to see what I could do to her. This was a risk I couldn't take. But, at the same time, I couldn't bear the thought of going through life with the power and without guidance.

Reluctantly, I sighed, "OK. Let me know whenever you're on a break... and I'll be ready."

With that, I left the yacht and went inside the house to pack my stuff for the boat ride.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Rare For A Dark Protector

POV: Ren

Grace took the others outside to check out some boat at the back of the house. And I was obligated to stay in the living room in order to get some rest. I tried to stand up a few times, but I kept getting headaches and I nearly passed out at the end. It took great effort and I was feeling really weak, as if what had happened had drained the energy out of me. So I gave up and stayed lying on the couch.

One thing was on my mind though. The hatred I'd felt that had taken over me. I'd never known that I had that kind of power inside me. I kept thinking that Kazarina did something to me after I was captured and brought to her lab. And I'd heard what she planned to do, even though I'd been out cold from Sid's sleeping dust. Whatever she'd done to me seemed to explain this new power. But at the same time, I'd figured that, even with her horrendous powers and her experiments, Kazarina wouldn't have been able to accomplish something this extreme and then put it inside me.

And Linehalt... He'd known how to calm me down some time after I'd transformed into that... thing. I got that that was what friends do whenever there was something terrible happening. I appreciated how Linehalt and the others hadn't given up on me. The others, as well as me, hadn't known about the power that consumed me. Although, instinct was telling me that Linehalt knew something about it.

I decided to ask Linehalt. "Linehalt, did you -"

"Yes, I already knew about the power," he answered, cutting me off. He must've realised what I was thinking.

"How come you didn't tell me? I could've figured out a way to keep it under control."

"Because, like you, I didn't know that you had it. I've seen some Darkus battlers with that kind of power before. It was quite common decades ago as it would get passed from generation to generation. But then, some time later, the numbers decreased and this power became pretty rare. The first signs - minor ones - of this power would usually be seen in young children. I didn't tell you because you didn't show any of these signs. Although, like I said, this power is really rare nowadays so there was nothing to be worried about. Until now."

"But if I didn't have any symptoms as a child, then why did it come out now?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, Ren," Linehalt replied. "But I figured that this power inside had been waiting all these years for you to feel it. And back then, it was only felt because of hatred."

"And I felt it because I hated the Twelve Orders for everything they've done, no matter how loyalty people have shown to them." Worry washed over me before I sighed and asked, "So what are we going to now - about this power?"

"There's nothing to do, Ren. Other than trying to keep it under control."

"That's the thing, Linehalt," I said. "How can I control it when I never had it before?"

"The only thing I can suggest is to keep your hatred in check as it's the only thing that triggers the power."

Fear took over my thoughts and turned them into assumptions about what would happen if I lost self-control and hurt people. Like how I'd almost hurt my teammates back on the beach. But I couldn't think about the fear now. When the time came, I would make sure to remember who my friends were. So with a sigh, I said, "Alright, I'll try."

"Boat ride!" I heard Zenet whoop before she burst through the front door and ran upstairs.

POV: Zenet

I rushed up the stairs and into the attic where the spare backbags were. I took one of them and went straight to my room, which was one floor down, to start packing. We didn't get our own rooms in the house since there wasn't enough. Lena and I had to share one, whereas Jesse shared one with Sid. Ren slept in the living room. Moving him seemed a little bit risky with the pain at the back of his head and the fact that he staggered from the lack of energy he had. I hated how we had to bring him on the yacht because of his condition, but we had no time to lose. The Twelve Orders would be after us soon, that was for sure, and we needed to get a move on.

There wasn't much in my room; or in any of the other rooms, for that matter. There was just two metal beds with white covers, a wooden dresser and a wardrobe. But I didn't care. It seemed enough, right? I placed the backpack on my bed, opened the wardrobe and grabbed a couple of tops. One that was yellow with long ripped sleeves, and the other one a white cap-sleeved top. I also grabbed two black boot-cut jeans, which would go well with the tops. I knew that this wasn't a vacation, but there was no harm in being prepared for, say, the changes in the weather. I walked towards the dresser and picked out a lemon coloured set of pyjamas. Then, I put the clothes in the backpack. I was never a neat person and I never cared how they were supposed to be folded up. So the clothes just looked crunched up altogether in one ball.

 _That should be enough clothes_ , I thought.

I then zipped up the backpack and left to head down towards the kitchen to grab some snacks.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Setting Sail

POV: Jesse

Zenet ran past us on the stairs as I followed Sid to the attic where we got some backpacks. I noticed that Sid got two instead of one. I figured one of them was for Ren. I knew that Sid was helping Ren throughout his healing process, but he seemed to also be acting like Ren was a friend of his. Sid had always thought Ren was weak. I wondered what had changed his mind.

After we got the backpacks, we entered our room and started packing. We took a few pieces of clothing from the wardrobe and the dresser, like some jeans and shirts. I noticed Sid grabbing some clothes that were a bit small for him - the clothes the wardrobe and the dresser had were in different sizes and it was good for Grace to be prepared since she hadn't had a clue of who was bound to turn up. I then realised that the small clothes, two navy-blue jeans and two black shirts, were for Ren. Sid really was willing to help out.

As Sid put the clothes in both of the backpacks, and a grey paperback book in one of them, something fell out of his jacket pocket. Some sort of piece of paper. Although when I bent down and picked it up, I realised that it wasn't a piece of paper. But a photo. Sid was in it, along with three other Gundalians - all thin and in torn rags. I hardly recognised Sid with his noticeable cheekbones, his stained ripped clothes and his matted and slightly longer hair. But it was him.

The others Gundalians were two guys who looked a several years older than Sid, and a young teenaged girl who seemed confident despite her disheveled appearance. Both of the guys had dark hair and the same facial features; they were probably twins. And the girl looked almost like a living embodiment of a peasant girl with her dull, ragged dress and her stitched-up long-sleeved top. Even her wavy, brown hair resembled the aura of a peasant girl. Regardless of their appearances, all four of them were smiling, like they were happy.

"Sid," I said as he closed the wardrobe. "You dropped this."

I held out the photo and handed it to him. "Thanks."

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Just some old friends I used to know," he replied with a remorseful look on his face.

"You looked... different."

"Yeah, I did." He stared at the photo for a long moment, before he gingerly put it in the backpack. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Grabbing the backpacks, Sid left the room. And I followed behind him with my own backpack, wondering about the photo and who those people in the photo were. Sid was acting like he was hiding something. I wasn't sure what, but I got the feeling that it had something to do with those people, and the reason all of them were in rags.

POV: Sid

I headed downstairs to go and get Ren, with Jesse following me. When he had asked me who the people in the photo were, sadness washed over me as I remembered my old friends. I only thought about them at least a couple of times a week. I cared about them a lot, but I didn't want to think about them 24/7 because it hurt like a stab in the chest. After what had happened to them, I felt completely guilty. It was my fault. I didn't want my current to find out anything about my past, because I was scared that they'd get hurt.

But Jesse had seen the photo of my friends and how we'd looked back then. I knew that Jesse normally spoke poetically (sometimes riddleish), but I also knew that he wasn't dumb. Sure, I hadn't told him much about the photo, but he could be able to figure out some things about my past just from the rags. I probably had nothing to worry about, since I had a prick of hope that he would either keep the photo a secret or just forget about it.

I pushed the thoughts out of my head as I entered the living room. Jesse offered to take Ren's backpack to the yacht and I let him take it, knowing that I should help Ren without carrying two backpacks at the same time. I heard Jesse's footsteps existing the hall and walking out the front door. Walking towards Ren, I saw that he was already awake.

POV: Ren

"How are you feeling?" Sid asked me.

"OK, I guess," I replied. "Still feel a bit dizzy whenever I try to stand, though."

"Well, we've got to get to the boat and get out of here before the Twelve Orders come back," Sid pointed out, wrapping my arm around his neck and then helping me to my feet.

I wanted to say that I could manage, but I knew I could barely walk and I didn't want to lie - or have dust thrown in my face. I was getting dizzy already, but it wasn't as bad as it had been before.

Sid guided me to the front door and towards the back of the house where the yacht was.

My vision suddenly became blurry and I stumbled, nearly falling into the water. Sid caught me just in time an then hoisted me up over his shoulder, before jumping onto the deck of the yacht. I heard a door opening, then I blacked out.

POV: Sid

"Is Ren OK?" a voice from behind me asked the minute I walked into the yacht's living room.

"He's fine," I replied, turning to look at Lena. She looked ready to go with a backpack on her back. "He's just got dizzy. That's all. I'm just going to take him to one of the cabins."

"Good idea," Lena said. "I think we should check on him every so often during this ride."

"We should," I said. I then walked to grab hold of the bannister with my free hand, before descending slowly down the spiral staircase.

POV: Zenet

I was just up in the control room, sitting behind the metal steering wheel and getting ready to set sail. And Grace had said that was going to untie the rope around post and then go to the engine room. The control room not only had aspects of an actual control room, but also some aspects of the living room in the main deck. There was a white corner couch, along with a small wooden table.

Growing up with a couple of relatives, who steered plenty of boats, really came in handy after all. The controls for the yacht really weren't much different than the ones on the boats back on Gundalia. So it was just as easy.

I heard footsteps ascending up the stairs and I looked from behind the white chair to see that it was Grace.

"We're ready to go, and everyone's here," she said.

And with that, I pressed a few buttons on the monitor, pulled the throttle and started steering. I heard the engine humming to life as the yacht slowly distanced itself from the shore. I steered the yacht to the right and then Grace directed me to go straight.

This boat ride got awesome straight away.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Mindfulness

POV: Lena

I was sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting for Grace as she poured water into two glasses. Grace had told me that the water was meant to be a part of the lesson; a way to indicate how much control I had for my poisonous touch. I had no idea what she had meant by that, but I decided to stick with it as I needed her guidance on how to control my power.

Grace left the en-suite kitchen, placed the glasses on the table and then joined me on the couch. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, nervousness in my voice.

"OK, then." Grace picked up one of the glasses and handed it to me. "Hold this and watch what happens."

I did as I was told and stared at the glass in my hand. I wasn't sure what was supposed to happen, but I had to be patient.

The water suddenly started to bubble as it slowly turned from clear to deep blue. I was so surprised that I almost dropped the glass. But I managed to keep a grip on it. It was also getting scalding hot the longer I held it. My hand was beginning to burn, so I quickly put it on the table. The water stopped bubbling and eventually went back to crystal clear.

"Are you alright?" Grace asked and I nodded in reply, shaking my hand like crazy as if it was supposed to cool it down.

"See how it's bubbling like a volcano and how it's blue? Well, Lena, this indicates that you barely have any control of this power at all. So, once you gain more and more control during a lesson or two, the water should either gradually turn light blue or just stay cool and clear. Although, clear water is what we're aiming for as that'll mean that you have complete control. So we'll be checking how you're handling this power every once in a while just by getting you to hold a glass of water. Until you get the hang of this deadly power. We'll just take this one little step at a time.

"So, let's get started. The first step is to control your fears. I want you to close your eyes and remember the one thing that you're afraid of the most. Don't tell me what it is. Just remember."

I shut my eyes and took a ride on a train of thought. At first, I couldn't think of anything. I mean, there were a few things that I was scared of. Such as, losing my friends; being buried alive; the dark. And

Suddenly, random images flashed in my head.

A shadow on a wall punching a smaller shadow; a little girl in blue running in the rain at dusk; a homeless boy carrying the girl to an abandoned warehouse and then giving her an apple and water; and the boy and the girl - now in their mid-teens - smiling down at a baby, wrapped up in its own cardboard box.

I heard shouting, then a baby crying... and, finally, crackles of a fire.

"Lena! Lena!"

I opened my eyes and saw Grace looking at me with a worried expression on her face.

"What happened?" I groaned, holding up my hand against my forehead.

"You closed your eyes and then fell on the floor," Grace replied. "Whatever you were thinking must've been really intense. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I answered as Grace helped me up back onto the couch. "Just had a terrible flashback."

"About what?"

"About what I'm scared of the most," I replied briefly.

"Tell me what it is," Grace said, taking my hand in hers, "and we'll figure out how to not let it take over you."

I glanced at Grace's hand, which was holding my own. And then I looked into her eyes. They were filled with concern and kindness. She really wanted to help me, regardless of the fact that I could involuntarily hurt her. The thought of that petrified me, but somehow her eyes seemed to have taken the edge of it.

Looking down at the floor, I sighed and then, in a quiet voice, said, "OK, I'll tell you, but it comes with a story that you're not going to like."

"Tell me anyway," Grace urged.

"Alright. It all started with my parents. They treated like dirt when I was a child. They always punched and kicked me. Sometimes, they locked me up in the basement all night without anything to eat. They even forced me to do the chores with their kicks, their fists, and their threats. I don't know why they were doing that to me, but I was too scared to ask.

"One night, when I was 10 years old, I sneaked out and ran away in the rain. I haven't had the chance to eat something before I left the house, so I was tired and hungry. My vision became blurry and I passed out on a street.

"I woke up in a boy's arms. He looked around my age at the time, and he was strong for his size. He carried me to an abandoned warehouse, where he lived. He was homeless, you see. Anyway, when we got to the warehouse, he fed me an apple and some water. The boy's name was Yūjō. It means friendship.

"Then, years later, we were celebrating my fifteenth birthday with looking at the stars through a hole in the roof of the warehouse and sharing at kiss. Several days after that, I became pregnant. Even though we were too young, and we were surviving by stealing, we were so happy at the thought of having a child. After months, the baby came. It was a girl, and we named her Rain. The minute Yūjō and I saw her, we both felt so lucky that we cried. Tears of joy.

"But all that happiness ended on Rain's second birthday. My parents found me and Yūjō, and they realised that we had a child. My dad came up behind us, knocked Yūjō out and then grasped my arms. I tried to break free, but my dad was too strong for me. There was a lot of noise going on, so it woke Rain up and she started to cry. My mother then took Rain in her arms, and tightly put her hand on Rain's mouth. I shouted at my mother to stop since I knew what she was doing. But then, Rain went limp, and she wasn't crying anymore. I instantly felt horrified and damaged at what I saw, as if someone stole something precious from my heart. That's what my mother did.

"Yūjō then rose from the floor and punched my dad's face, causing him to release his grip around my arms. Yūjō told me to run as he fought my dad. I wanted to stay, so I rushed towards them, but then my mother got in the way and I ran in the opposite direction. I tripped over a wire, and my mother was on top of me. I screamed at I tried to push her off. Then she raised a knife.

"Suddenly, I noticed something orange lighting up in the corner of my eye as it was right beside my head. My mother looked scared and she got off of me and ran away. When I looked at the light, I realised that it was fire. It blazed and flames rose between the floorboards. I instantly got up and ran back to where Yūjō and my dad were. But when I got there, the room was already engulfed in flames and I couldn't see. I frantically fought my way through, looking for Yūjō.

"But then, I got dizzy and my throat was hurting. I fell onto my side and waited for death. I managed to get a glimpse of a figure standing above me. Then, everything went black.

"The End," I finished, with tears stinging my eyes.

Grace had a really shocked look on her face when she said, "Oh my... I'm really sorry to hear that... I-I-"

"Everyone's sorry," I cut in, "but it can't change the past. I never even knew how I survived the fire, or who the figure was. All I know was that the figure was tall, thin and dressed in rags. I also remember seeing some sort of scar on their left shoulder. So that's my story. What I'm scared of the most is getting too close to people and then losing them. I just can't bear it."

There was a moment of silence and Grace broke it. "To be honest, Lena," - Grace wrapped her arms around me - "I think everyone has the exact same fear. I may not know a lot about losing a loved one, but I know that you don't have to shut everyone out of your life. Because if you do, then you'll just regret it afterwards. Trust me. It was very difficult for me trying to communicate with everyone around me after I let Sid's father take Sid to Gundalia. But I kept on trying. So, do the same thing I did and try not to live in fear and let other people in."

As Grace rubbed my back, I cried at her words. She was right. I was living in fear and I actually didn't let a lot of people in. For a long time, I had been trapped behind an invisible wall. But I was stronger than I had been on the streets. So I will move on. I will forget about my fear. And I will communicate.

I wiped my tears and asked, "Do you think it's time to check the amount of control I have now?" I pointed to the glass of water on the table.

"I think it is," Grace replied, reaching for the glass and then handing it to me.

While I was holding the glass, I waited for something to happen.

Nothing happened. The water stayed calm, cool and crystal clear.

"I guess I don't need to teach you anymore," Grace said, smiling, "because it looks like you have total control of your power already. You learned faster than I did."

I smiled back. And for the first time in a while, I felt like my invisible wall was crumbling down.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Reasons

POV: Jesse

It had been almost four hours since we had set sail. It was nighttime and everyone was asleep, except me. I was just lying on my bed in one of the cabins, reading _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. I normally went to sleep at around midnight and I thought I'd read for the last twenty minutes.

There was a single white wooden bed at the left side of the cabin I was in, along with a chest of drawers on the right. There was also a wooden bedside cabinet with a yellow lava lamp on top of it. I thought it was odd to have a lava lamp for a light source instead of a regular lamp, but it was also quite unique. I liked that, and I had always liked the way lava lamps worked, just as much as reading.

Theother cabins had the same inner layout, except for Grace's, which had two wardrobes - one at each side of the cabin - and king-sized bed in the middle instead of a single one. Lena's and Zenet's cabin was different, too. It had double-decker bed with a set of stairs at the foot end of the beds, and Lena and Zenith had to share the bedside cabinet and the chest of drawers.

Reading had always been a hobby of mine, ever since I had been a child. My parents had written some stories and had read them to me at bedtime. I'd wanted to write stories of my own, and also become an actor. So I was sent to a secret theatre camp on Gundalia for a year. I'd enjoyed it there and I'd learned different stories and poems, even the ones from new world's. I'd even been in plays a few times. That had been where my love for Shakespeare's writing came from. So I had been enjoying theatre so much that I never stopped being poetic. Funny how the world worked, but right?

Even as I had my nose in a book, I couldn't get rid of the dread that I felt for my teammates. I'd gotten used to my misty power a little bit and I was okay with it. But that wasn't what was scaring me. It was the thought of all of us getting captured and then whatever would happen next. Kazarina would had worked out a cure for the poison Lena had touched her with by now. If what Stoica had said was true, then we had a lot more things to worry about than getting taken away. Who knew what else Kazarina was capable of doing, besides using the power of hypnosis and her knack for science?

It was nearly midnight when I decided to stop reading and _get_ a glass of water. I got up out of bed, walked towards my cabin door and slowly opened it, not wanting to wake up the others. Once I closed the door behind me, I snuck past Ren's cabin which was just on the side of the spiral staircase and across from mine. I noticed that the door to his cabin was left ajar.

I figured that I should check on Ren - see if he was alright. I knew that Sid did that already, but I also knew that I needed to take part in helping Ren with his recovery. We all needed to. Ren was one of us, after all.

I gently opened his door to see Ren lying in his bed on his side, shivering. I didn't want him to freeze all night, especially not with a thin layer of a cover. So I walked back to my cabin and came back with my long green jacket. If Ren had worn my jacket, it would've had gone almost all the way down to his feet as he was roughly a head shorter than me. _It was a good thing I stopped by_ , I thought to myself as I covered Ren up with my jacket.

I waited for a couple of minutes and Ren stopped shivering. Realizing that he was warm now, I exited the cabin and ascended up the staircase. When I reached the top, I saw Sid standing by the railing outside on the deck, staring at the crashing waves, his red jacket noticeable in the dark night.

As I went towards the en-suite kitchen sink at the far end of the living-room, Sid turned around and saw me. He must've had very good hearing if he heard my footsteps over the waves. Sid turned away to look back at the waves. I took a glass from one of the cupboards, filled it up with water from the tap, and joined Sid on the deck. "So, what are you doing up?" I asked.

"Just looking at the sea," he replied. "A little something to do. What 'bout you?"

"Just getting some water before I go to sleep. It's after midnight and I thought you were sleeping."

"I don't sleep much," he said briefly.

"How come?" I asked.

"Well, let's just say that growing up was hard for me and I needed to be aware of things going on around me. So, I only slept for around five or six hours and it kinda became a habit. Besides, we have to stay alert at this point with the Twelve Orders after us. And with Ren being the way he is now."

"True," I said. "You know, you've changed."

Sid turned to face me, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I thought you hated Ren," I replied.

"I did."

"What changed your opinion of him?"

"Three things," he said. "One; when Ren begged for his life, I thought he was weak and pathetic. Now I know why he was scared. Two; he survived this long without being punished, even though he was a teacher's pet."

"And three?" I asked.

"When Ren risked his life to save me from Dharak's blast back on Neathia, I realized that he wasn't as selfish as he appeared."

"Yeah, I realized that, too," I said. "Back when he prevented Gill and Stoica from taking us back to Gundalia."

" Another good example," Sid commented, turning to face the sea. "Ren did a lot to protect us. So, I the least we can do is return the favor."

"Exactly. Anyway, it's getting late, so -"

"Alright," Sid cut in as I turned to leave. "See ya in the morning."

"See ya," I said, opening the door to the living room. The minute I began to take a step through the doorway, I hit something solid with my foot. I looked down and I saw that it was a thick black book. I bent down and picked it up, then took it with me into the living room. With the lights on, I had a good look at the book. It was plain black on the front and there weren't any words on the spine. I turned it over, and a name printed in bright red caught my eye.

SID ARKALE.

I then remembered that this was the book that Sid had put in his backpack back at the beach house. I wasn't sure what it was.

But I guessed there was no harm in having a small look. I would only read one or two pages of it.

I took the book downstairs and headed towards my cabin. Once I got in, I laid down on my bed and opened it to the first page. In scribbled handwriting, it said:

'November 7th

I can't believe it. This feels like a nightmare. I know that what happened actually happened, but I don't want to admit. A nightmare or not, I know this is real. My dad is gone, and it was my fault. I didn't know I could create a fire by just touching a candle. Rubanoid saved me, but he should've saved my dad instead. Fire probably couldn't burn me, judging by what I did. So both me and my dad would've been alive, instead of just me.

It was my fault. I didn't know.'

Once the entry was finished, I was taking in what I just read. The words looked like they were written by someone who was feeling scared and guilty. That didn't sound like Sid at all, but what kind of person would write in a book that had someone else's name on it?

The picture of Sid and his three "old friends" suddenly popped up in my mind. All four of them were thin and dressed in rags. I began thinking that Sid must've had been like that ever since his father had died. I wasn't entirely sure, and I was just guessing.

And I knew that I wasn't meant to read something this personal, especially now that I knew that this was Sid's journal. But I wanted to know everything about him. Like what had happened after his father had died; who his friends in the photo were; how Sid had become the person he was now. Everything.

I was a bookworm, I admitted it. But I didn't want to read Sid's journal because of that. I wanted to read it because of concern. Sid never told us much about his past, and, from what I saw in the photo and from what I just read, I didn't want him to go back to what life had been like for him. I wanted to help. And in order to do that, I needed to know more about him.

I looked back at the journal, and turned over to the next page.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - A Little Laugh

POV: Sid

It was just after 6:30am when I was in the kitchen, mixing some water and Gundalian plants together in a crushing bowl as I was making thick green ooze for the bruise on Ren's head. The bruise didn't look so bad, but Ren had been having headaches and this would will be helpful to ease them a bit. Earth didn't have the same plants as Gundalia. But I had managed to bring the right amount of ingredients that I needed for this type of ooze before I'd left the castle while impersonating a Gundalian soldier.

I had told Linehalt that I had had learned to make sleeping dust when my dad had had taught me. Well, that was partly true. I wasn't a scientific kind of guy, but this was just one of the things I'd learned from one of my dad's books. I had to say that this had helped me and some people a few times before. Dad had really known a lot.

"Morning."

I jumped at Zenet's voice, almost dropping the bowl. "Morning, Zenet."

"Sorry, did I scare you?" she asked.

"Not as much as Barodius, that's for sure," I replied. "What are you doing up this early?"

"I went to bed early last night, so that I could wake up and get ready to steer the boat," she said with a smile.

"Sounds like you're having a great time."

"I am." Zenet noticed the bowl I was holding in my hand. "What's that?"

"Oh, this is just something that should help the bruise on Ren's headaches."

Zenet walked towards the worktop and turned the kettle on. "Where did you learn to make stuff like that?"

I obviously didn't want to tell Zenet the whole truth about my past for two reasons. A: I didn't want to lose her or my other friends, and B: when it came to keeping secrets, Zenet was terrible at it. So I decided to tell her what I'd told Linehalt. "My dad used to be a scientist, so I learned a few things from him."

"Sounds cool," she commented as she got a cup from one of the cupboards, along with milk from the fridge and and coffee from another cupboard. Zenet poured the milk into the cup, then added a teaspoon of coffee, and, as she poured the hot water in from the kettle, asked, "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, thanks," I replied, putting the crushing bowl on the table as Zenet got another cup ready.

Once Zenet placed a cup of coffee in front of me, I instantly took a drink from. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until the brim of the cup touched my mouth. Then I stopped drinking. It was so hot it burned my tongue. But not only did I stop because that, but also because, for some reason, it tasted a little bit like seawater. "What did you put in the coffee?" I asked Zenet. "A type of sugar that I've never tried before?"

"Just something that's extra funnier than sugar in this case," she smirked. "You tried something new. So do you like your coffee with sugar or salt?"

"Why would you do that?"

"For a little laugh," she replied with a small chuckle. "I just felt like spreading the joy of an early morning."

"Very funny," I said. "I hope you're still laughing when payback comes your way."

"Oh, I'll look forward to that."

"Yup, just you wait," I chuckled and Zenet joined in. Zenet could be a bit much sometimes, but she was still good to talk to.

When the laughter ended, and Zenet said with fresh happy tears in her eyes, "Anyway, I better get ready to steer the boat. And I should get Grace some water, too. She told me that she usually takes a bottle of water with her and sits it on her bedside cabinet. She went to bed about ten minutes ago, and I noticed that, just by looking through the gap when her bedroom door was ajar, she completely forgot about it. So it seemed like a good idea, in case she gets thirsty."

"Alright," I said, then picked up the crushing bowl and continued on making the ooze. "And I should get this finished."

"Yeah."

Zenet walked back towards the fridge, opened it and then put the milk back on the shelf of the door. She then took out a bottle of water, and closed the fridge. I noticed that she turned the lid, lifted it off and then fetched for the salt grinder.

"Don't even think about it," I laughed.

"Aw man," Zenet complained. "You took the fun out of it."

"I know Grace wouldn't like the taste of seawater," I said.

"Shouldn't have told you about the salt," she mumbled.

I laughed as she closed the bottle and then descended down the stairs with it.

When Zenet was gone, I stopped laughing and focused back on the ooze.


End file.
